David Friesen & Glen Moore

After hearing David Friesen play live once I purchased a very interesting duet CD he made with Gary Karr. Some of the tracks are a little eccentric for my taste, but others are absolute gems. Actually I've misplaced my copy, but a search on Amazon and David Friesen's personal discography doesn't turn up the album I'm thinking of. I think it has a rendition of 'My Funny Valentine'... Maybe I'm imagining things.

Apparently Moore and Friesen performed together in the '70's. I have a record simply entitled "In Concert" with Glen Moore and David Friesen from 1977. Interesting stuff.
Moore played the same bass with the carved head.

After hearing David Friesen play live once I purchased a very interesting duet CD he made with Gary Karr. Some of the tracks are a little eccentric for my taste, but others are absolute gems. Actually I've misplaced my copy, but a search on Amazon and David Friesen's personal discography doesn't turn up the album I'm thinking of. I think it has a rendition of 'My Funny Valentine'... Maybe I'm imagining things.

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Woody, i'm fairly certain that David and Gary never recorded together.I can't imagine that combination, so if i'm wrong please let me (us) know!!

It's also interesting to note that both Moore and Friesen play on acoustics but also EUBs. (Friesen more than Moore though)
Friesen played on the Oregon EUB for years but now plays an Hemage (austrian).
Moore is a Vektor (german) endorser I think.

I saw Friesen abort a gig with John Stowell once, when he felt that the doorman was letting too much cold air in onto his DB (in Arcata, California) along with the patrons who had paid to see them. The door was on the opposite end of the club, maybe fifty feet away.He left out the back door in a snit..."That's it, the show's over". The doorman started apologizing to the audience, but they all basically said "Hey..not your fault!" I talked with John Stowell afterwards, a very nice gentleman, and he was pretty embarrassed by the whole evening.

Maybe that's when he started thinking about using the Oregon bass. It's too bad, though...great bassist like that, and that incident is the first thing I think of when I hear his name.

I saw Friesen abort a gig with John Stowell once, when he felt that the doorman was letting too much cold air in onto his DB (in Arcata, California) along with the patrons who had paid to see them. The door was on the opposite end of the club, maybe fifty feet away.He left out the back door in a snit..."That's it, the show's over". The doorman started apologizing to the audience, but they all basically said "Hey..not your fault!" I talked with John Stowell afterwards, a very nice gentleman, and he was pretty embarrassed by the whole evening.

Maybe that's when he started thinking about using the Oregon bass. It's too bad, though...great bassist like that, and that incident is the first thing I think of when I hear his name.

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I've had several "experiences" with David over the years, most of them having to do with his penchant for trying to convert others to Christianity.
That sure was a nice French bass he had at one time though.

I saw David Friesen and John Stowell at the free jazz festival in San Jose, CA. He talked some about the Hemage. It sounded as if the instrument he was playing was built to his specifications. He still has the French bass mentioned by Paul. He plays that when asked, but seems to have fully converted to the Hemage.

The duo made some memorable music. However, at one point the bass player became incensed at a patron talking during the introduction of a tune. It was an uncomfortable moment, I wasn't able to get passed it.

In subsequent posts it's been good to see that people who know Mr Friesen have stood up for him. Perhaps the next time I see him perform I will feel comfortable shaking his hand and talking to him. <edit>

It's also interesting to note that both Moore and Friesen play on acoustics but also EUBs. (Friesen more than Moore though)
Friesen played on the Oregon EUB for years but now plays an Hemage (austrian).
Moore is a Vektor (german) endorser I think.

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Oregon came to St. Louis two years ago. Glen uses the Vektor so
he can tune it to that unusual tuning that he used on the older Oregon albums. The Oregon bass was a very limited run, I recall that only 12 of them were ever built.

Just standing up here for David. I've spoken with Mr. Friesen on two occasions and I've found him to be a beautiful human being. I'm jewish, and religion never came up, nor did any "huffiness". I would urge everybody to check out his body of work, sensitive playing that doesn't sound like anybody else, great solo's, all while sounding like himself, something that I don't often hear. Anyway, make up your own mind at his site. http://davidfriesen.net As far as Mr. Moore, holy cow, 2 guys in the same city who are such incredible artists with their own sounds, maybe it's the water? maybe I should get out of new york?..............Peace. ASG

I remember listening to Freisen's solo bass album "Paths Beyond Tracing" a lot when I first started playing. Turned me on to how melodic the bass could be. Plus he played bass and bamboo flute simulaneously, which I found very cool and immediately tried to emulate, substituting my plastic Flute-o-Phone for bamboo flute.

Just standing up here for David. I've spoken with Mr. Friesen on two occasions and I've found him to be a beautiful human being. I'm jewish, and religion never came up, nor did any "huffiness".

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Yeah, I was hesitant to post because it's kind of personal, but I've come to know David Friesen this year through some people. He's given me a few private lessons and he's very involved with teaching and encouraging a very loyal following here in Seattle. I trade email with him sometimes.

My experience with him has been that is a truely a genuine, caring and giving person. Very kind to me, has met my wife a few times and was very kind to her and complementary of me to her. I take him to be one of the most gentle and sincere people I know. Never mentioned religion. He's clearly a very peaceful and spiritual person, but he's never explained to me where that comes from or asked me about my beliefs.

He is a great musician. It's fair to say that he and I have different tastes in jazz and equipment, but there is no denying what a beautiful musician he is. He's also a very good teacher, if not of technique, then certainly of playing music and group playing and especially playing in time.

I was surprised to read anything to the contrary, but I suppose that I can see him getting upset if he felt something was keeping the music from happenning. He's very serious about the art of making music.

There aren't many people like him in jazz. You either connect with his way or you don't, but you have to regard him as a unique talent and individual. He's a facinating guy.

The bad gig experience mentioned above certainly doesn't sound like the guy I met a few years back at a clinic he was running in London. It was such a low key event that there were only about three or four attendees, so there was a lot of room for personal dialogue. In fact, I was so impressed, I even wrote up my notes for a page on my website.

He certainly didn't seem pushy or proselytising in his approach. Maybe there are two David Friesens running around out there or maybe he's just grown up...

We've both been on the bass faculty of the Aebersold camps for the past couple of years. The first year, he played a 3/4 bass while sitting on a regular chair, this year he brought his Hemage. I've never known him to be anything but gentle, with a sweet disposition and an engaging laugh that occasionally gets out of control and becomes contagious. I've never heard him mention Christianity once...from his manner and dress, I always figured he was closer to a Buddhist. Either way, he's a nice guy IME.

We've both been on the bass faculty of the Aebersold camps for the past couple of years. The first year, he played a 3/4 bass while sitting on a regular chair, this year he brought his Hemage.

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What did you think of the sound of the EUB, Chris and how it fitted in, in a Jazz context?

I was at Jazz 'camp' recently and was the only EUB player, but there was this situation every night at the Jazz club, where you have 120 students formed into groups/bands, who are trying to get on and off stage!

So at some points, there were 10 - 12 Double Basses lying on their sides in front of the stage and I was thinking : one missed footing and "disaster"!! - having just bought a real DB I am now constantly aware how fragile they are, compared with EUBs and if one of those real basses had been mine, I would have been twitchy all night!!

What did you think of the sound of the EUB, Chris and how it fitted in, in a Jazz context?

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I think it was fine, and a nice change...but it definitely was different. I think that Jamey wanted the diversity. I will say that in the bass master classes Dave did a nice job of blending volumewise with the rest of the basses when we were playing duos/trios with the other faculty.